


you used to call me on my cell phone

by saysthemagpie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Epistolary, Ghost/Living Person AU, Ghosts, Haunting, Heartbreak, M/M, Oblivious Niall, Pining, Texting, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6456070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saysthemagpie/pseuds/saysthemagpie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>It starts a few minutes after he's left the store, his new phone in hand.</i> </p><p>Niall's got a ghost in his cell phone. Haunting AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you used to call me on my cell phone

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Mallory Ortberg's ["Texts from a Ghost"](http://thehairpin.com/2012/02/text-messages-from-a-ghost/) (a couple of the early texts are borrowed from her piece). Thanks to [harrymynewborngiraffe](http://www.harrymynewborngiraffe.tumblr.com) for the late-night beta.
> 
> House rules: if you know me in real life, please don't share or discuss this story or anything else I've written with people outside the fandom! You can read my longwinded explanation [here](http://ticklefightharry.tumblr.com/houserules).

It starts a few minutes after he's left the store, his new phone in hand. After a couple months of working nights at the student union pub, he's finally saved up enough to upgrade from his battered old flip phone. He's still not exactly on the cutting edge of technological advancement, but at least now he can do stuff like check his email and look up directions without racking up a huge data bill.

The first text just says _Hiiiii_.

He reads it while he's waiting for the bus, tucked out of the way beside the bus shelter so he doesn't get jostled by the crowd. There's no number displayed next to the text, just a series of X's. It's like the phone number's blocked or something, which seems weird. Could a telemarketing company have got hold of his new number already?

**hi sorry just got a new phone n lost all my contacts!! whos this ?  
** _I'm gaunting you now if that's ok  
_ **what  
** _Oops I meant haunting. I'm still learning how all this works  
_ **who is this  
** _Oh sorry I'm a ghost  
I should have said_

"That'll be a pound fifty," the bus driver says to him, looking bored. Niall shoves his phone into his back pocket and counts out some coins, the last bit of change he's got in his pocket. The only seat open is next to a very old woman who's knitting a large pink sweater with needles as long as his forearms.

**what do u mean ur a ghost  
** _You know  
A ghost  
_ _Anyway I live here now  
Inside your phone  
I would explain but it would take too long in human time  
_ **is ghost time different?  
** _Um sort of._

The bus turns an abrupt corner, and one of the knitting lady's needles pokes Niall in the side hard. "Ouch," he gasps, almost dropping his phone.

"Mind yourself, young man," she says severely, as if he's just tried it on with her. Niall mumbles an apology, scooting over as close to the edge of his seat as he can. He hunches over his phone again.

**not t be rude but if u live here does it use up more data ? cos im just a poor student mate u might have to find a diff phone if so  
** _Oh no  
Definitely not  
You won't even notice I'm here._

*

He doesn't hear from the mysterious number again for almost a week. He's walking home from a pickup footie game in the park near the union when he gets the next text. It's cool out, just gone dark, and he's flushed and sweaty, still grinning over the fact that Bressie had asked him along in the first place. Niall's never had a hard time making friends, but his program's pretty big and Manchester's even bigger, and he'd left all his best mates behind in Ireland. It's been a bit harder to adjust than he'd expected.

Bressie's older than him, a postgrad in political science, but they work a couple shifts together at the pub and he's promised to introduce Niall to some of his mates off the rugby team. He's a nice bloke, and well fit—not that Niall's noticed, or gotten himself off in the shower thinking about being rugby tackled to the bed, of course. Bressie's so far out of his league it's not even funny.

Niall’s just thinking about his shoulders, and about how easy it’d probably be for him to pick Niall up and throw him over his shoulder, when his phone buzzes.

_Sorry if we woke you up last night  
_ **what?  
** _Oh another ghost came over and we had a big fight and I thought we might've woken you up  
We used to be roommates  
_ **its no problem u can have people over whenever u want. my phone is ur phone and all that haha.  
** _Actually if you want to know the truth we were kind of more than roommates.  
It's complicated  
Sorry  
I don't know why I told you that_

Niall hesitates. He's not sure what the etiquette is here—he's never had anyone haunt his phone before—but it seems like maybe his ghost could use someone to talk to. He lets himself into his building and trudges up the stairs, tapping out a text as he goes.

**dont need to apologize to me mate  
so it didnt end well im assuming? w ur roommate?  
** _Ex-roommate.  
And yeah. We used to share an iPad but then things got weird. I guess he didn't want anybody to know about us being boyfriends. I dunno._

Niall grimaces. He can sympathize—back in sixth form he'd had his heart broken by a boy on the football team. Connor been just fine with getting off behind the stands after practice with him, but he'd freaked out when Niall asked him if he wanted to get dinner sometime.

Once he's inside the flat, he flops down on the sofa and gets his phone out again. His roommate Zayn's gone as usual, at his on-and-off-again girlfriend's probably, which means another night of eating leftovers and watching Netflix by himself.

**thats shit :( i know we havent known each other that long but u seem like a nice ghost. u deserve t be with someone who appreciates u  
** _Thanks  
You seem really nice too  
I really like haunting this phone  
_ **dont you mean "gaunting"?  
** _hahaha you remembered_

Niall thinks maybe that's it for the evening, so he digs through the fridge for the Chinese takeaway he'd ordered a couple nights back. He's just got out his laptop (and, somewhat optimistically, his textbooks) when another message pops up.

_So what do you study  
You said you were a student right  
_ **oh ya I study sound engineering  
I think I want to be a producer maybe  
** _Ohh that's so cool  
I always wanted to go to uni_

Niall's not sure how to respond to that. He's not sure how sore a subject it is, Ghost being dead—like, if it's a recent thing or not. Ghost doesn't seem to be that much older than him, though it's kind of hard to tell via text.

**ya uni is fun I guess  
kinda lonely tho sometimes  
** _What do you mean?  
_ **idk its hard to explain  
just thought itd be easier to make friends you know?  
** _But you do have loads of mates  
All those people at work really like you  
And those girls from your study group invited you to their party this weekend  
And your friends from Ireland are always messaging to say how much they miss you _

Niall smiles a little at that.

**haha I guess thats true...  
how do u even know all that  
** _Sorry!!  
I don't, like, read your private messages or anything  
Just sometimes the texts wake me up coming in and I see them by accident  
_ **lol thats ok ghost. u can read them I dont mind  
** _Okay  
Well if you ever feel lonely you can always talk to me  
Sometimes I get a little lonely too  
I mean I love this phone dont get me wrong!!  
I haven't been a ghost all that long yet but this is definitely the best phone I've ever haunted  
5/5 would haunt again  
_ **thanks ghost  
its been nice having u here  
and same to u, if u ever feel lonely u can just text me **

*  
  
Between classes and work and his attempts to find an internship, Niall spends most of the day on his feet or in the library. But he tries to text Ghost every couple days at least, usually more if he's got a slow shift at work or he's procrastinating on a paper. Ghost's an odd bloke, but he's sweet. And he does seem lonely. Niall doesn't really know how the social lives of the dead work, but as far as he knows, the only visitor Ghost’s had since he moved in is his asshole ex-boyfriend. Ex-roommate. Whatever.

It takes Ghost a little while to start initiating conversations on his own, but within a couple weeks he's sending Niall things throughout the day, things he's found online or stories about other ghosts he's met, even though 90% of the time Niall's got no idea what he's going on about.

_I saw this video today and it reminded me of you  
_ **what was it about  
** _I cant really remember  
About eggplants maybe  
Maybe that was a different video _

*

**ghost what was that !!!!!  
** _Oops I meant to send that to someone else  
_ **who are u sending gifs of snakes swallowing eggs whole at 6:30 in the morning  
** _Oh it's for this group chat I'm in  
It's kind of an inside joke  
_ **haha ok weirdo  
** _Hey I'm not the one who looked up "preying mantis sex" at 3am  
_ **omg ghost that was one time !!!  
and im basically scarred for life now  
i cant believe they BITE THEIR HEADS OFF wtf  
** _Uh huh  
Uh huhhhhhh  
_ **ugh ur the worst ghost  
Im going back to sleep  
** _Ok I set your phone alarm for 9am  
Don't forget you're meeting with Nick today about the radio internship  
_ **ahhh I take it back. ur the best, ghost  
** _:)_

*

**ok I know this is weird but which hat do u think looks better  
I sent u two photos  
** _WOW  
Just wow  
You look really really really good  
_ **lol are u taking the piss ghost  
u can just tell me if u don't like either  
I won't be offended  
** _I_ _'m not !!!!  
Seriously they're both really flattering  
You look really wise but also hot  
Like a sexy village elder kind of  
_ **um thanks I think?  
well I can only afford one so pick  
** _Niall  
It’s like choosing your favorite child  
It’s like if I had two babies and one of them had to die  
_ **dont be a drama queen ghost im almost to the register  
** _The first one  
I think  
No no the second one.  
_ **are u sure?  
** _I'm sure  
I'm really really sure_

*

**hihiiddiiii dhost  
ghooooooost  
** _I’m sleeping!!  
_ **liaiararrrr  
** _Are you drunk  
_ **yur ghreet ghost  
greAT I mena  
imm at perries birthdyay  
Ifeel soosososo sick !!!!!!!!!!!  
** _Drink some water  
Don’t die  
NIALL DON’T DIE  
I’ll be so mad at you if you die  
I won’t let you share a phone with me that’s how mad I’ll be  
_ **Imsn ot die  
slep now**

*

 **ugh sorry about last night  
did I really wake u up  
**_No it’s okay  
I don’t actually need to sleep  
You can text me anytime  
_**ok  
can I ask u a question ghost  
**_Sure anything  
Do you need anything  
Did you see the flashcards I made for your sound production exam  
_**yeah I did thank u ghost!!  
thats so nice of u god ur a lifesaver  
**_So what did you want to ask me?  
_**oh yeah  
um I don't know if this is too personal  
so u can say no  
**_Okay haha  
I'm getting nervous.  
_**I was just wondering, what are you the ghost of?  
it's just last night I was trying to tell Zayn about you  
and I realized its kind of weird that I always just call you 'ghost' instead of a name  
**...  
...

**ghost?  
ok we dont have to talk about it  
well I guess Im going to go study for a bit  
let me know if u want to talk later**

*

_Harry  
_ **what?  
** _I used to be called Harry  
Before I was a ghost  
_ **okay.  
thats a good name.  
do u prefer to go by Ghost now?  
** _you can call me either, I don't care  
_ **ok cool  
** _Wow it's weird to tell somebody  
Somebody alive I mean  
But I feel like we're friends  
Is that weird to say?  
Sorry if it's weird  
_ **of course we're friends u nutter  
ur like… my best mate, pretty much  
** _Me too  
You're my best mate too I mean.  
_ **is that you making the lights flicker  
** _Oops sorry  
I just feel really happy  
I'm glad I told you  
I'm glad I'm haunting your phone  
_ **don't u mean...  
** _Ugh. Gaunting. You're never going to let that go, are you.  
_ **nope :D**

*

"You're doing it again," Zayn says accusingly a few weeks later, from where he’s sprawled out on the couch. He and Perrie are on one of their many, many breaks, which means Niall suddenly has a roommate again, one who smokes constantly and never takes out the trash and seems to view dishes as optional.

Niall's sat at the kitchen table, reading his texts. Or trying to, anyway. Harry’s decided he wants to learn a different language, so he's forcibly changed Niall's phone to Spanish, locked him out of the language settings, and has been texting him things like ¿ _Donde está la biblioteca_? all week. 

Niall’s trying to just go with the flow, even though he’s got a big test coming up and his Spanish really isn’t good enough for bilingual studying. It’s better to just let Harry work these weird fixations out for himself.

Usually he abandons them in a week or two, once something else catches his eye. And really, Spanish is a lot better than the week Harry got really into organic quinoa recipes.

**la biblioteca está on the campus map  
which u are perfectly capable of looking up for urself  
stop bothering me im trying to study**

“Ahem,” Zayn says.

Niall looks up. "Doing what?"

"Grinning at your phone like a maniac,” Zayn says. A look of horrified comprehension dawns on his face. "Oh my god, wait, are you sexting that bloke Harry? Ugh, get a room. And tell him those quinoa cookies were disgusting.”

“They were _healthy_ ,” Niall says indignantly, because that might be true but nobody gets to insult Harry’s cookies but him. He abandons his textbooks in the kitchen and goes into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

**haha Zayn thinks we're sexting**

The screen says Harry's typing, but nothing comes through. It takes a few minutes for his next text to appear.

_¿Eres-tú embarazado?  
_ **pretty sure im not pregnant ghost  
but Im not embarrassed either if thats what u meant  
tho can u imagine us sexting lol  
I mean what would we even say  
u'd probably be all like 'ohhh Niall put the kale all over my bodyyyy'  
** _Hahaha  
Yeah.  
That's really funny.  
Anyway I was meaning to tell you I'm going to visit a friend in another phone for a while so I probably won't be around for a few days.  
_ **whaaaat I thought we were going to finish battlestar galactica this wknd  
when did u make these plans??  
** _You can finish it without me. I don't know when I'll be back.  
Maybe you should ask Bressie to come over and watch it with you.  
_ **ummm ghost !!  
obviously im not going to watch it without u  
plus thatd be like asking him on a date  
im getting hives just thinkin about it **

*

It's kind of weird, not having Ghost – Harry, he reminds himself – around. He tries to study for his exam but it's harder to focus without someone there to quiz him at all hours, or wake him up with early '90s pop songs for alarms. Three days into Harry’s surprise trip Zayn gets back together Perrie, which means Niall’s got the flat to himself again. He’s been feeling a bit mopey lately, and decides that what he needs to shake it off is probably a nice luxurious wank. 

It’s just – something's off. None of the porn he looks at seems all that exciting, and his go-to fantasies just aren’t doing anything for him. Not even the one about Bressie holding his head still and fucking his mouth in the showers after a rugby match, and that one's _never_ failed him before.

Every time he gets sort of close, his mind keeps drifting off, thinking about stuff like his homework and where Harry’s gone and if he’s having a good time haunting somebody else’s electronics. He keeps thinking of funny things to text him, except he knows Harry won’t see the messages till he gets back from his trip and he hasn’t left any forwarding address. There’s no way to reach him.

For some reason that thought is so disheartening it kills his hard-on completely. Finally he just gives up. If he can't get off, maybe he can channel all his sexual frustration into deep-cleaning the flat instead.

* 

_Hiiiiii  
_ **Haz! ur back!!  
how was ur trip  
** _It was okay.  
_ **just ok?  
** _It was fine. Needed to figure some things out.  
I missed the phone though.  
_ **well the phone missed u :)  
** _Haha. What are you doing right now?  
_ **just doin laundry  
** _Oh jealous!! I love laundry!  
_ **ya well u once told me ur two great passions were flossing and swing dancing  
so ur obviously a dangerous madman  
** _Dental health is sexy Niall  
And so is dancing  
Haven't you ever heard of CHANNING TATUM  
_ **lol okayy im sure ur irresistible  
** _Ha.  
Right.  
Anyway make sure you save the fluff from your tumble dryer for the birds  
_ **... what birds?  
** _They like it for nests, Niall.  
Obviously.  
I used to put it out in the garden so they wouldn't get cold in the winter.  
_ **Harry Im NOT doing that sorry**

*

"What's that?" Bressie asks at work that evening, once the happy hour crowd has thinned out a little. He nods at Niall's bag, which he'd thrust carelessly under the counter earlier when he came in. The contents are spilling out onto the shelf.

"Oh," Niall says, scrambling to shove everything back into his bag. "It's, um, cotton fluff. From the tumble dryers."

"You got a secret lint fetish or something?" Bressie sounds amused.

"Ha," Niall says weakly. "No, uh—you're supposed to put it outside your window for the birds? So they can, um, line their nests when it gets cold out."

He's pretty sure he's babbling, and also blushing up to the roots of his hair. God, Bressie probably thinks he's a nutter, if the odd look on his face is any indication.

"Wow, Horan," he says finally, and Niall's about to stammer out something – _it's dumb I know, I just have this friend who's a bit of an oddball but he's really shockingly persuasive_ – when Bressie adds, "Just when I think you couldn't possibly get any cuter, you prove me wrong."

Niall gapes at him. "Um," he says, swallowing hard. "What?"

Bressie leans against the bar and gives him a broad, easy smile. God, he's so tall, and there's a few days' worth of stubble on his cheeks, and Niall's just now remembering a very vivid dream he'd had a couple weeks ago that involved Bressie in his rugby kit leaving beard burn all over Niall's inner thighs. He gets a little distracted by the memory.

"If you're not too busy building nests, maybe we could go sometime.”

"Sure," Niall says dazedly. "Wait, sorry, where? Where are we going?"

"I asked if I could take you to dinner sometime. I know you see me here all the time, so you're probably sick of my mug. But if not—”

"No," Niall says quickly. "I mean—no, I'm not sick of it. And yes to dinner.”

"Great," Bressie says. "There's this little Italian place I really like not far from here—they do this great lasagna. How's Saturday at 8? I'll give you my number and you can text me your address."

Niall fumbles for his phone, hardly able to believe his luck. He’s got a bunch of unread texts from Harry—he’s very worked up about the rainforests today, for reasons Niall doesn't fully understand—but he X's out of them quickly without reading them. When he hands him the phone their fingers brush, and Niall feels a happy little thrill of anticipation all the way down his spine.

“Better get back to work.” Bressie hands the phone back to him, nodding towards a group of girls who’ve just walked into the pub. He gives him a broad wink and saunters off, leaving Niall standing alone in the doorway of the stockroom.

"Ahh," Niall says to himself, very quietly, pinching himself extra hard just to make sure he's not dreaming. Harry's never going to believe it.

*

**can u believe it  
ghost!! Harry!!!  
why aren’t u reacting  
BRESSIE asked me on a DATE  
** _That’s great Niall  
_ **what's wrong  
are u mad at me or something?  
** _No  
I said that’s great  
I’m really happy for you  
I just want you to be happy  
_ **ok mr. sappypants  
ew that sounds gross I take it back  
want to help me pick out my outfit?? **

Harry doesn't text back for almost forty-eight hours. At first Niall’s sort of annoyed that Harry’s vanished at this crucial moment in his life. He’s got no idea what to wear and Zayn’s absolutely no help—he just offers to spray-paint a skull and crossbones on the back of his jacket, which, okay, no. And besides, hasn’t Harry just taken a trip to figure himself out or whatever? Shouldn’t he be okay?

By Saturday morning, though, Niall’s starting to get worried. Maybe it’s sort of ridiculous—Harry’s a ghost, which means that one of the worst things that can befall a person has already befallen him—but he can’t help it. Part of him is wondering if maybe he hasn’t been that good a friend to Harry lately. Harry’s seemed a little quieter since he got back, and Niall hasn’t even tried to talk to him about it.

He doesn’t want to come off as too needy or clingy or whatever, but in the afternoon he finally caves and texts Harry again.

**ghooooost  
where did u go I need you  
** _Sorry  
I’m here  
I just had to be somewhere else for a little bit  
_ **so are u haunting someone else now?  
am I not enough for u or smthin haha**

The three dots appear next to Harry’s name for a moment before disappearing again. Niall chews at his cuticle, waiting. He’s just wondering if he should follow it up with something casual—like a gif of a kitten taking a bath or a funny selfie of himself in the village elder hat—when Bressie texts him to confirm the address. Niall grins and starts typing out a response. He’s halfway through when his phone dings with an incoming text from Harry.

_I don't think you should go out with him tonight  
_ **what? dont be silly  
** _I_ _have a weird feeling  
_ **what do u mean ?? what kind of feeling  
** _I dunno just a feeling  
Call it ghost intuition  
I think you should stay home and watch a movie with me instead_

Niall rolls his eyes. Harry's being ridiculous.

**im not skipping this date to watch nature documentaries with u  
that last one about the ice caps melting gave me nightmares  
we can hang out tomorrow night ok? I promise**

Harry responds with a photo of a forlorn-looking polar bear, floating in the middle of the ocean on a chunk of ice.

**not helpful haz  
** _You should wear the black jeans  
_ **really? theyre so tight  
** _Yeah. You’ll look really fit, I promise.  
You always do.  
_ **aww thanks :)**

*

**distract me  
Im so nervous !! fifteen more minutes  
** _I just sent you an article on deforestation  
Why don't you read that and then you'll have something to talk about on your date.  
_ **harry im trying to sleep with him not put him to sleep  
** _Fine. If the destruction of the world's most biologically complex ecosystem isn't thrilling enough for him then I don’t know what to tell you.  
_ **oh come off it u know what I mean  
thats more like…third date material  
ok i have another question for u  
** _What.  
_ **what do u miss most about being alive?  
** _Bananas.  
_ **come on be serious  
** _I am serious.  
But I guess like. Kissing, probably.  
And being with somebody.  
It's not the same with ghosts  
_ **hows it different?  
** _Well for one thing nobody has mouths  
_ **... how does it work then?  
** _Mm wouldn't you like to know  
_ **Harry come onnnnn im curious !!  
** _Ok fine it involves a lot of energy surges  
_ **sounds hot  
u energy surged anybody lately? ;)  
** _A gentleman doesn't energy surge and tell.  
_ **so thats a yes then?  
** _Ha. No energy surging for me. Not for a while now.  
_ **how come? bet a good lookin ghost like u would get lots of offers  
** _Haha.  
You don't even know what I look like.  
Actually there actually is somebody I'm interested in right now but I don’t know if they feel the same way or not.  
I don’t think they do._

 Niall's not sure why that makes his stomach flutter. More nerves, probably, since the clock’s ticking steadily towards eight. Or maybe – well, it’s just kind of weird that Harry hadn't mentioned this mystery crush till now. Niall kind of thought they told each other everything.

**well I think u should go for it Harry  
u’ll never know unless u try right?  
oh mygod hes here!!!!!!  
** _Yeah  
What time will you be home do you think  
I want to talk to you about something  
_ **we can talk about the rainforest tomorrow  
we can talk about it all u want  
tonight tho… at least one of us is gettin energy surged :)  
sooo dont wait up lol**

*

It's a good first date. They both get the lasagna, and they talk about Ireland and their families and Niall's course, and get into a good-natured argument about footie. It's surprisingly easy and fun; Niall’s not nearly as tongue-tied as he usually is. He gets a little tipsy and giggly on the bottle of red they’d ordered, and by the time dessert comes he’s feeling brave enough to rest his hand on Bressie's thigh under the tablecloth. It helps that Bressie's looking at him like he wants to eat Niall with a spoon instead of his chocolate mousse.

"Could go back to mine for a drink, if you wanted,” Bressie says when the waiter brings the check. He slides his big hand over Niall's under the table, nice and casual, and squeezes. "Got the whole place to meself this weekend. Bit empty without anyone around.”

"Aww, do you get scared all by yourself?" Niall's heart starts beating a little faster. God, he’s got no clue why the wanking didn't work last week. Bressie's _so fit_ , even hotter in real life than in Niall’s fantasies. Plus he smells really good and he likes Niall enough to take him out to dinner and hold his hand in public. He kind of wants to run off to the toilets and text Harry to tell him about how well it’s going. But he’d tried that earlier and Harry hadn’t responded, so maybe he’s busy or something.

"Need a big strong lad like you to protect me from all the ghosts and the beasties," Bressie's saying with a wide grin, rubbing his thumb in slow circles over the back of Niall's hand.

"Ghosts aren’t scary once you get to know them," Niall says without thinking, then blushes when he raises an eyebrow. "I mean—um, yes please, I want to go back to yours. Please."

They wind up snogging against a wall in the alleyway outside the restaurant, Bressie's big hands sliding up underneath his shirt, half lifting it, making him shiver at the rough scrape of the brick against his back. Fuck, Niall's not gotten laid in ages, and he's half hard already just from the taste of Bressie's mouth, from the heat of his breath in Niall's ear and the filthy things he’s murmuring in his ear. They kiss some more in the cab, sneakily so the cab driver won't notice and kick them out, and Niall has to bite his lip hard to stifle a gasp when Bressie nips at his ear and slides his hand down to his crotch, palming him through his jeans. Harry’ll never let him live it down if he comes in his pants like a teenager.

In the entry hall Bressie actually picks him up and carries him into the bedroom. Niall can’t quite enjoy it properly—he’s thinking very hard about untimely kitten deaths and deforestation to avoid humiliating himself—but a distant part of his mind appreciates that he’s going to be wanking to that memory for the next fifty years or so. When Bressie drops him on the mattress and sets to work on his jeans, the lights in the hall start flickering wildly.

“Sorry, the wiring’s ancient,” he says by way of explanation, yanking Niall’s skinny jeans down around his thighs. “What’s so funny, chief?”

“Nothing, s’a long story,” Niall says, trying not to giggle as his jeans are flung in the direction of the wardrobe. Energy surges indeed. Harry’s going to think that’s hilarious.

Or maybe he won’t. He hasn’t seemed all that excited about this stuff with Bressie, honestly. Maybe he just needs to get laid too, especially if things don’t work out with that bloke he’s interested in. Niall makes a mental note to ask if there’s a ghost Tinder or something. He could help him write his profile, maybe—impose a strict limit of only two rainforest mentions, and cut out all references to the joys of quinoa.

Then Bressie swallows him down, a finger nudging between his legs, and Niall stops thinking about Harry.

*

“Morning, chief.”

“Mmphh,” Niall says, rolling over. He smiles up at Bressie, blinking the sunlight out of his eyes, and lets himself be kissed. “Time is it?”

“Half ten,” Bressie says. “You were really out. I was going to do us a fry-up, if you wanted?”

“Oh shit,” Niall says, sitting bolt upright in bed. “Shit shit _shit_ , I told Nick I’d cover his radio shift at ten. Why didn’t my bloody alarm go off?” He’d had full charge last night; if Harry’s turned it off on purpose, just because he’s in a strop about Niall going out, he’s going to be so pissed.

“Uh oh,” Bressie says. “Think your jeans are—uh, over there somewhere? Want me to make you a cuppa before you head out?”

“Sure, mate, thanks,” Niall says, stealing another kiss before he scrambles out of bed. “Ugh, I could use a shower too, but it’ll have to wait.” He tugs his jeans on—Christ, they’re tight—and fishes into his back pocket for his phone.

“Oh,” he says, stunned.

“What’s that?” Bressie comes up behind him and hooks his chin over Niall’s shoulder, hands coming to rest above his hips. “Oh, shit luck. Must’ve happened last night. Have you got insurance on it?”

“I don’t know.” Niall feels like he’s in shock.

“It might’ve come with the phone,” Bressie says. “Check your warranty papers, yeah? Usually they’ll just replace it.” He kisses the side of Niall’s neck and Niall squirms away, putting some distance between them.

“I have to go,” he says. “I have to—I need to go right now, I’m sorry.”

“Can I see you again, at least? What about next weekend? I’ve got tickets to the game.”

“I don’t know,” Niall says, tears welling up suddenly in his eyes. “I don’t—God, where’s my shirt, I need my shirt, I can’t—”

"Mate, listen,” Bressie says, and he’s starting to sound a little annoyed. “If it was my fault I’m really sorry, I’ll pay for a new one. But it’s no use getting all worked up over it. It’s just a phone, yeah?”

*

**April 8, 10:43pm**

_I know you're on your date but I have to tell you something  
I like you  
That's why I didn’t want you to go tonight  
It's stupid but I was jealous  
I just really, really like you.  
It’s okay if you don't feel the same, I just wanted to tell you  
But if you do feel the same, that'd be like  
God it’d be so amazing Niall._

  **April 9, 2:37am**

 _Can you just pretend I didn't send those last texts  
It doesn't matter. I was just being stupid.  
Nothing has to change_.

**April 9, 11:37am**

_Niall please just say something  
Do you want to yell at me? You can.  
I’m sorry  
I just want things to go back to the way they were  
I don't know how to fix it._

**April 11, 10:24am**

_Hey Niall I know you're probably really busy with school and Bressie and stuff so I wont bother you anymore  
I just wanted to let you know I found a different phone to haunt so I’m probably going to move out today  
I’m really sorry I messed this up  
This was the best phone I’ve ever haunted  
I hope you have a really nice life  
I hope it's really really good Niall  
I’m sorry again  
All the love. Harry x._

**April 12, 9:13am**

**ghost are you there its me its niall  
the screen cracked and something broke inside the phone  
they wanted to replace it but I wouldn’t let them and it took a few days get it fixed  
i feel the same way  
i really like you too  
god ive been so stupid**

**ghost, are you there?  
harry?**

**Author's Note:**

> on tumblr [here](http://www.ticklefightharry.tumblr.com) (main 1d blog) and [here](http://www.saysthemagpie.tumblr.com) (fic writing blog).


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